Restrictiveness in Case Theory

Henry Smith develops a theory of syntactic case and examines its synchronic and diachronic consequences. Within a unification-based framework, he draws out pervasive patterns in the relationship between morphosyntax "linking" and grammatical function. Beginning with a detailed study of dative substitution in Icelandic, the author moves on to examine a wide array of synchronic and diachronic data and to construct a typology of case.

• Proposes original theory of syntactic case • One of the first published accounts of ‘linking theory’ • Looks at morphological case-marking and also at way in which the patterns described may change over time